The Chicago Bears will almost surely be taking USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft next month, but cornerback Jaylon Johnson does not appear sold on Williams just yet.
Speaking on Williams this week, Johnson said that the youngster needs to show he can play on the NFL level before he can really get respect.
“What you did in college, the Hollywood, it’s like ‘nah, you’ve got to prove yourself,’” Johnson said during an appearance on the Up & Adams Show. “That stuff, like, that doesn’t matter. You’ve got to get to know him, too. I think there’s a fine line between trying to prove a point to him but you’ve also got to get to know him. Because at the end of the day, we want him to be the absolute best he can be. That’s what we’re bringing him in for to win games. I think truly just learning who he is as a person and learning him deeper than just all the Hollywood stuff you see, but actually trying to learn and get to know him and then knowing what pushes him.”
Wow. Those are some pretty harsh words from Johnson, and it demonstrates that not everyone is as enamored with Williams as the media may portray.
Of course, when it comes to players already playing in the NFL, it’s a different story. They surely get a little annoyed when they hear about a collegiate player getting hyped to the umpteenth degree, and when that player finally enters the league, the veterans immediately try to send him a message.
It seems that Johnson is just letting Williams know that things won’t be so easy on the professional level, and that while he may have lit it up in the Pac-12, the NFC North is different.
Johnson just signed a lucrative four-year extension with the Bears, so he is now one of the elder statesmen in Chicago moving forward.
Apparently, one of Jaylon Johnson’s first actions as an established leader is sending a message to Williams before he makes the jump into the big leagues.
Caleb Williams threw for 3,633, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 68.6 percent of his passes during his final season at USC this past year.
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